The Kevin Sheehan Show - Beating Detroit Formula Is Obvious

Episode Date: January 15, 2025

Kevin opened with what seems like an obvious formula for an upset Saturday night in Detroit. He also talked about some of Jayden Daniels' missed opportunities against the Bucs. Mike Jones/The Athletic jumped on to recap his trip to Tampa for Commanders-Bucs and to look ahead to NFL Divisional Round Weekend. Kevin finished with a recap of Wild Card Weekend and some thoughts on the Terps win last night over Minnesota.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it, but you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheyenne Show. He is Kevin. He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback. He's composed. He understands how to progress. He sees the field well.

He can buy time with his legs. He's a dangerous runner. You know, he's smart. He's smart. You can tell he understands how to run that offense. what they're asking him to do. And then he's got weapons. He's got weapons around him.

That was Lions Coach Dan Campbell yesterday talking about, of course, Jaden Daniels. The show's presenting sponsor, as always, and of course, is Window Nation. 86690 Nation or WindowNation.com if you need new windows. No Tommy today. He'll be back with me on Thursday. He had more important things to tend to. Mike Jones from The Athletic will join me in the next segment. was at the game Sunday night in Tampa. So we'll get his thoughts on the 23 to 20 thriller

over the bucks and we'll look ahead to Saturday night in Detroit, along with the other three divisional round games. So I was thinking that, you know, this is our first time in 19 years to preview a divisional round game for our team. And I was thinking back to the last time They played in this round. They played Seattle after beating Tampa Bay in January of 2006. I was working for the station. I had started at the station about a year and a half or two years earlier. 2004 I had started at the station.

And I was hosting the post-post game show. It was called the Fifth Quarter Show. And they had given me that show to do that season. and, you know, I guess they saw some promise in your boy. I was doing mostly updates, and I was a part of Tony's show. But they gave me that fifth quarter show, which followed the official postgame show, which Andy hosted. Now, I did host the post game show for the final two games of the regular season. They beat the Giants on Christmas Eve, and they beat the Eagles.

that season finale to clinch the playoff berth. Andy had something going on. I can't even remember what it was. But then for the postseason, I was back to the fifth quarter show, the post game that followed the post-game show, the post-post game show. And I do remember so well the loss to the Seahawks because that was a winnable game. And we were so pumped for it because it was Gibbs year two. They had made that big late season run to get to the postseason. They were a good defensive team. They had been a pretty good offensive team,

but they got injured towards the end of that year. They won the playoff game over Tampa. I've mentioned this many times with 41 passing yards, 120 total yards, in part because they had injuries at their skill position spots. Taylor Jacobs was their second receiver. Santana was out there, Cooley was out there, Clinton was out there, Brunel was out there, but even Brunel seemed to be hurting a little bit. Remember, Patrick Ramsey actually came into the game on Christmas Eve, which was the next last game of the year, and they beat the Giants. But it was a long time ago,

and here we are again with a chance to do it. Who knew it would be this long. It's Tuesday, and I think it's time that we start to look ahead. This is going to be a first take. It won't be the last take, but it may be pretty close to what the final take will be on our chances to beat the Lions in the divisional round of the NFL playoff, Saturday night at Ford Field. Look, Dan Campbell clearly knows what they're up against Saturday night. You heard that in his voice. He knows it. I guarantee you their defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, knows that they've got their hands full with Jaden. They realize Jaden Daniels is the real thing. The last time they faced the real thing was a month ago. They faced the bills at Ford Field. Josh Allen led an offense

that rolled up 48 points and 559 yards against Detroit. They won the game 4842. Allen threw for 362 and two touchdowns, rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. It was a dominant offensive show that the bills put on in Detroit. Hell, three weeks ago, Caleb Williams, he threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions defense. Two weeks ago, Brock Purdy, he threw for 377 and three touchdowns against Detroit.

You see a theme developing here? Detroit's defense right now isn't good. And a great quarterback Josh Allen put up insane offensive numbers against it. A decent quarterback, Brock Purdy, lit up that defense. And a not-so-good quarterback right now, Caleb Williams, had a pretty big day, his second biggest yardage day of this season against that defense. Now, Sam Darnold and the Vikings did not play well last week against the Lions. But I think after watching last night's playoff game, we know why.

Darnold played poorly. He had people open against Detroit. couldn't see him. And when he did, he couldn't throw it anywhere near the receiver. The lions have struggled defensively over the last month. And it's for one reason, more than any other, injuries. They've lost 11 players defensively to injured reserve. More than that, though, there are another three to four players on defense that have missed significant time due to injuries but didn't make their way to injured reserve. Or they made their way to injured reserve, but are back off it. I mean, they've essentially had 15 key defensive players lost throughout this season. That is

unbelievable, especially when you consider they've overcome it. They've won 15 games. They're the one seed and they're the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Their rookie corner, Terry and Arnold, first round pick, was hurt in the Minnesota game. He's going to be a close call for Saturday night. That would be another blow to their defense. You know, at one point against the Vikings last week, Detroit had four players on defense on the field at the same time that had not suited up for them previously. Incredible job by Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator last week against Minnesota, but Sam Darnold had something to do with that. Daniels isn't Darnold. Daniels is more like Allen. And that has to concern Detroit.

You know, how do they stop Washington from lighting them up like Buffalo did or even like San Francisco did in the last month? It's a good question. I don't think they can. I don't think they can stop Washington. I think, you know, their best path to a win over Washington is everyone else's best path too. And that is you've got to play defense with your offense. and their offense can score and score a lot on Saturday night. That is their secret sauce, as our coach Dan Quinn would say.

Their offense can really light it up. And against our defense, it's likely to get ugly if they have the ball a lot. But it is interesting, right? For years, we've talked about, you know, the best chance for us to win is to keep it away from the opposing quarterback. That's now everyone else's plan against our team. This game is so easy to pregame. You know, it's very similar to the game last week against Tampa. There are some differences, which I will get to in a moment. But the similarities between last week's game and this week's game are there. You know, two teams who have really good offenses, two teams who

aren't very good right now, especially on defense. There was a time this year where the lions were good on defense, but not now with a shell of the team that they had defensively a few months ago. Detroit led the league in scoring on offense. Washington was fifth. Detroit was the number one offensive team in the NFC per DVOA. Washington was third DVOA-Wise in the NFC. Detroit, had the second best third down offense in the conference. Washington, the third best third down offense in the conference. Detroit was number one in expected points added per play, EPA per play in the NFC. Washington was second. Both teams top 10 in yards per play. Both teams top 10 in red zone's scoring percentage. Detroit finished third in the league in time of possession.

Washington finished eighth in the league in time of possession. I could go on and on. These are two very high-level offensive football teams. The defense is not great. The Lions, more so in recent games because of the injuries, they allowed 27 a game over their last five. And in three of their final four games, not the Minnesota game, but the other three, the San Francisco game, the Buffalo game and the Chicago game,

they allowed an average of 472 yards per game. Washington's 23rd in the league on defense per DVOA, they are 30th in the league in rush defense. The best offensive team Saturday night and the team that makes the fewest mistakes on offense, Saturday night wins. it's easy. That's it. You know, Tampa's offense was good, but not as good as Washington's offense on Sunday night. And they made two critical errors, and Washington didn't make any. And yet, by the way, they only lost by three on a walkoff at the gun.

Jaden Daniels, by the way, I don't think I mentioned this in my post game of Skins over Bucks, but Jaden Daniels became just the second quarterback in NFL history on Sunday night to lead his team to zero punts and zero turnovers on the road in the playoffs. The other guy to do it, Peyton Manning. And I went back and found the game that Peyton Manning did that in. Zero punts, zero turnovers on the road in the playoffs. You talk about playing a clean offensive game, no punts, no turnovers. So Peyton Manning back in the 2003 season, the playoffs that took place in 2004,

they were on the road against Dick Vermeel's Kansas City Chiefs team. That was a Trent Green Priest Holmes KC team that was very good on offense. In that game, the Colts had seven possessions. they scored on six of them. They ran out the clock on their seventh and final drive, and they won the game 38 to 31 as an underdog at Arrowhead. They went on the following week to Foxborough and lost the AFC title game to the Patriots,

but I dug deep into this game because I wanted to find out about the other guy that won a road playoff game a leading an offense that didn't punt and didn't turn the ball over. And this game was so strikingly similar to the win over Tampa, and I think could be a preview of the game in Detroit. First of all, that season, the Chiefs, they were the number one scoring team in the league. They went 13 and 3. The Colts were the second highest scoring team in the league.

These were two excellent offensive teams, and neither team had a very good defense. They both finished in the back half of almost every statistical category, actually the bottom third of many defensive categories that year. But in that game, so no turnovers and no punts for the Colts, they scored on six of seven drives, the seventh drive they just ran the clock out. In that game, the losing team, Kansas City, they didn't punt either. And they scored on five of seven drives, but they made the killings. mistakes. They fumbled and they missed a field goal. Ball game. 3831, they lose. They didn't play

as clean a game as the Colts did season over. I mean, it sounds like the formula on Saturday night in Detroit. It sounds like what they did, Washington did, in Tampa on Sunday night. This game just isn't hard for anybody doing pregame analysis. The better of the two offenses, wins as long as that offense doesn't make more mistakes than the other offense. You really can't talk that much about either defense in this game. I mean, we're going to. We'll talk about how Detroit's going to play a lot of man coverage. They're going to come after Jaden with some blitzes. We can talk about, you know, how to cover Amman Ross St. Brown with our defense and whether or not Marshawn Latimore should travel with them or not. I say no, by the way, to that.

We can talk about stopping the run. Detroit does it better than us, but not as good as Tampa Bay's defense does it. So maybe a better chance to run the ball against Detroit's defense. But still, will it matter? Because Washington just hasn't been able to run the ball against anybody recently with their running backs. The quarterback has been the leading rusher. So look, the similarities in pre-gaming the Detroit and Tampa games are there. I loved our chances to beat Tampa.

You guys know that. I picked us to win, picked us to win 27-23. I said it was going to be a low-possession game. There weren't going to be a lot of punts. There weren't going to be a lot of stops. Mistakes would be huge in the game. Play keep away from Tampa's offense. That's our best defense.

And they can win the game. And that's what happened. But the Detroit game, while it is the same approach, exactly, your best defense will be your offense. You've got to score on, you know, they scored on five of seven of their drives Sunday against the Bucks. The two that they didn't score on were the fourth down stops, you know, on their opening drive and on the drive on the fourth and goal at the three. That's their best chance to beat the Lions is to outscore them and not give the Lions as many plays. Don't give the Lions as many opportunities. And if it is the same, number of opportunities, just hope you get the ball last in a game that's a one score or less game. There's a difference, though, between Tampa and Detroit. And the difference is this. And it's why Detroit is a 10-point favorite, and Tampa was only a three-point favorite. First of all, I'll just mention the road environment will be much different on Saturday night.

You're not going to see as many Washington fans at Ford Field as you saw in Tampa. This Detroit home fan base is rabid. They are thirsty for this. They've never been to the Super Bowl. They're one of four franchises never to appear in a Super Bowl

and they believe that this is the year. This would be a devastating loss for them. It would be a devastating loss if they lost in the NFC title game. They are expecting to go to the Super Bowl. I think there is some reality

setting in about their defense and the injuries and that impact. But this is going to be a true, loud, raucous road environment. Detroit's offense is better than Tampa Bay's, and actually better than ours. You know, last week I thought in the game, Washington's offense was, you know, as good if not better than Tampa's. And I thought we had the better quarterback. This week, I think Detroit's got the better overall offense, although I do think Washington's got the better quarterback. Jared Goff is good, got a lot of weapons, great offensive line, but I do think Jaden Daniels is the better quarterback. So, you know, there is, this is going to be a true road environment. I mean, as loud as it will be anywhere in the four games over the weekend. And

Detroit's offense is just lethal. And it has been all year long. It's better. than Tampa Bay's offense. And I think better than our offense has been this year. The three best offensive teams in the NFC this year were Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Washington. But with the Lions, you know, more so than with the Buccaneers, I could easily see their offensive line dominating the line of scrimmage. And Jemir Gibbs and David Montgomery, who, by the way, is expected to be back. He's missed the last few weeks. I could see that. them rushing for 200 plus yards in this game, and I could see the Lions putting up 35 plus. I could envision Tampa being very effective offensively and scoring 30 plus, but maybe not 35 plus,

and maybe not the same way. I thought Tampa would roll offensively. And by the way, on many levels they did. They just made key mistakes. Did you see this stat? I just saw this stat before I started to record the show today. The Bucks drop back passing success rate was 65.2% against Washington on Sunday night. That's the best ever in a playoff loss this century. The lines just have a better offense. They've got a better offensive line. They've got a more explosive offense. Their rushing attack. Jamir Gibbs has major home run ability. And they're offensive coordinator is incredibly creative and really good. Ben Johnson really is an outstanding coordinator. Have to play defense with offense again this week and very, very clean. No mistakes

on offense as well. Much more coming up on this matchup. But man, there are striking similarities to the game in Tampa, but just a few differences. I got this email I wanted to share with everybody because it was one of these game management emails that my guy Corbyn, that's my son's name, by the way, but this isn't my son who wrote it. Corbin writes, diehard skins fan, longtime listener, and avid on clock management criticism, as you are, L.O.L. But seriously, I thought you'd be all over this. On the last Washington drive of the first half, not counting the kneel down, first. and 10 at the Tampa 37-yard line, instead of running out the remaining 11 seconds of the play clock before snapping it, they snapped it at two minutes and 51 seconds. This is really into the weeds. I'm glad Tommy's not here for this. Had they snapped it with one or two on the play clock, they could have run the clock down to the two-minute warning to keep Tampa from having another possession before halftime. Instead, they ended up running two more plays before the two-minute warning. They ended up running two more plays before the two-minute warning. warning, that ended up being the difference of either Tampa burning both of their remaining

timeouts, which we know how bad Bowles is with clock management. Who knows if he would have? Or a minute 20 seconds of game clock. Okay. I know what you're saying, Corbyn. There's a lot more here. By the way, he says, I knew this kind of strategy when I started playing Madden at 10 years old. So I did not talk about this particular end of half situation. So this is not, I don't think, one of those that was obvious. So Corbyn, I appreciate you sort of identifying this. So Washington's last drive of the first half, not counting the kneel down, they're up seven to three. It's an 11 play, 37-yard drive that took five and a half minutes. Corbyn wishes it had taken more. And they ended up kicking a 52-yard field goal.

Remember, Zane Gonzalez kicked that 52-yarder there to give him a 10-to-3 lead. So the play and the situation he is talking about is on a third and four, Jaden got sacked. Big sack in the game, but it didn't count. By the way, on that play, Diabi just blew by Brandon Coleman. There was a defensive holding penalty, and Washington got an automatic first down. And they rolled the clock because it's not the final five minutes of the game. game of the half where the clock stops. It's the final five minutes of the game. Final two minutes of the half, the clock stops, you know, on penalties, on out-of-bounds plays, et cetera. And it didn't

because we were outside of two minutes. So they rolled the clock and they rolled the play clock. And he is correct. They took the next snap exactly at two minutes and 51 seconds with still, 11 seconds left on the play clock. And his point is, if they had waited, then they could have run the clock down to the two-minute warning before taking their second down snap, which they took before the two-minute warning. It was incomplete, and then they had to take their third down snap before the two-minute warning as well.

So I do understand what you're saying, Corbyn. I get it completely. With that said, I... The reason I didn't bring it up, and that is some advanced stuff on your part, I'll give you that. But I think they are in rhythm offensively, and all they're thinking about is touchdown. They're thinking about this drive. You're not at the two-minute warning yet. You're not in a position where you are definitely going to score a touchdown.

They're still playing their tempo, which gives them, in their view, the best shot of being successful on a play. I know there was a penalty on the play before it, and teams had the opportunity to sub in after that penalty, but Washington had been playing that no-huddle up-tempo, and they went no-huddle shotgun up-tempo again and snapped it with 11 seconds to go. And I think they feel, in that part of the game,

they felt that that was their best opportunity to have a successful, play. So I think also with 251 left and you're at the Tampa Bay 37 yard line, the idea is that you can run out the rest of the clock and score a touchdown on this drive. They didn't. They ended up kicking a field goal and Tampa had a minute 52 left. And yes, I don't know if Tampa would have used their second and third timeouts prior to the two minute warning. They probably would not have. But I get what you're saying. And that that is really high-level advanced clock management. But I think the answer is what's more important at that point in the game.

You're not trying to gain a possession. You're not thinking about preventing them at that point of a lengthy possession opportunity. Your opponent, you're thinking about what is the best way we can go score a touchdown. And for them, that's playing no huddle and up-tempo. so they thought that gave them a better chance. Yeah, they could have snapped it one or two seconds later and it would have made a big difference. But I bet you if they had snapped it one or two seconds earlier or later

and they could have run down the clock to the two-minute warning on the next snap, they may have gone no huddle because they would have thought it would have given them the best opportunity on their second down and, what was it? Second down and six play to get a first down. but thank you for that. Real quickly, before we get to Mike Jones, I went back and watched the game with the All-22. I'm not going to sit here and do a film breakdown.

That's not me, as you know, but there were a couple of things that I was looking for. I thought that Jaden missed some things in the game, and I thought in particular what he missed was decision-making on a lot of the zone read plays. basically I counted six times in which five really six the sixth was a bit of a question mark but the five to six times in which I thought he pulled it when he should have kept it kept it when he should have pulled it um yeah and did I say that right there were five to six

occasions where I thought he should have handed the ball off when he kept it or he should have kept it instead of handing the ball off. And so I do think that those are big plays. And I think they also lead to some of the running back futility. You know, how many more yards were there for running backs had he made the right decision and not kept it on a couple of them? Not a lot. But there's a play early on in the game on their very first drive

where if he leaves it with McNichols, who's in the backfield, He kept it and he gained zero yards. I think McNichols has a big chunk run, probably a 10-yard-plus run. And then there was a time on the fourth drive, which was their first drive of the second half. It's first in goal. And he gave it to Brian Robinson, Jr., who got nailed.

He should have kept it, and I think it's a walk-in touchdown. So just a couple of decisions that, you know, I have to preface, and I should have prefaced this, I'll say it now. I don't know that these for sure are zone reads, but they look like them. It looks like he is playing that outside defender. There were also several times in the game where they played Jaden with not an edge defender, but with a safety like Winfield Jr. walking down into the box to play Jaden on the Zone Reed. We've seen that a few times this year. They'll walk somebody into the box, a safety, just to play him. Look, we saw the spies throughout. We saw Levanti David spy him a bunch, and we saw the two spies on that big third down throw on the game winning drive.

That's crazy. I've never seen that before. They had two spies on that. play. What else did I want to mention after going back and watching the game? Man, he made some, that throw to Terry on the opening drive, the 35-yard deep throw is such a great throw and such a great catch. Oh, you know, the fourth and two that they got stopped on on the opening drive, really interesting play from this perspective, especially if you're a basketball person. So they're running a pick play for Echler, all right? And they're running the pick, the guy setting the picks are Brown, Diami Brown, and Zach Ertz.

And Echler is coming from one side of the field to take these screens, and hopefully he's wide open on that fourth and two, and Jaden can dump it to him and he can run for the first down. Except that Tampa switched the screens, all right? And so Echler was defended. one of the players that got screened, one of the players covering one of the screeners, just switched onto Echler. And so it blew up the play.

What's interesting to me, and I'd love to know the answer, and I don't. I'm going to find out the answer, though, is on these pick plays, especially pick plays in kind of that middle of the field area, not necessarily the goal line, but where there's more. more room and more space. What's interesting is Diami Brown in particular, after kind of setting the screen, rolled to the hoop, if you will. He rolled off of it, and he was wide open.

You basketball people know that sometimes it's the screener that's wide open. And he was wide open in the middle of the field. Now, in Jaden's defense, there was quick pressure. I don't think he had the time to wait. I wonder, though, if he did have the time to wait, is that his next option? I don't know what his second option was. He threw it to the first option, which was Echler. They were running a play for Echler to be wide open on a little dump after he gets screened for

and he picks up the first down. I thought it was interesting because Brown rolls off this pick and is wide open. Something I didn't mention the other night. They ran a triple option on their second drive on their 17-play drive with Echler as the pitch guy. Echler was involved in a lot of stuff. They had a lot of two-back stuff the other night. They've done that with Echler healthy. That triple option went nowhere.

They played it really well. One of the things it's really clear about Tampa's defense, they had been a good run defense coming in, and they were really hell-bent on stopping the run and stopping Jaden in particular as a runner. Jaden had two kneel downs in the game for minus four or five yards total. So his true numbers were 11 for like 40 in the game, 11 for 41, not 13 for 36. But they count as rushing attempts. Excuse me. I lost my voice yesterday. Rushing attempts and rushing yards. They also ran a quarterback draw in the game. They ran a quarterback counter in the game. They're rushing. They're

running him in every possible way. They really are. And I wonder if in that building, they're saying, look, our running back yardage looks shitty. Brian Robinson, 10 for 16, Austin Echler 8 for 27. But there were, you know, Nichols was one for one. But there were a couple of opportunities that if Jaden had played it right on the read option play, we may have had more rushing yards from our backs. And there are plays where they probably would have had more rushing yards from the quarterback. All right. I think that's it. Yeah.

I think my favorite throw of the game is the one I talked about the other night still. It was in that second half where he evaded the rush and got to the line of scrimmage, stopped, and threw to Diami. It was, you know, those defenders are in total conflict when he can run or he can throw before he crosses that line of scrimmage, and they're dead. If that rush doesn't contain him, if he's able to extend, especially in that case, the A-gap towards the line of scrimmage, man, that makes it so difficult. You can't cover that long.

And you're in danger when the quarterback remains a passer the entire time that he's extending and he's become so good at that. All right. There were a couple of other misthrows. The deep shot to Terry that was incomplete before the field goal, before the 52-yard field goal. I thought he had Zechias wide open. Zichias wins a lot from that slot spot in particular.

He's very good off the line of scrimmage, and he won big time on that play before the field goal, and I thought Jaden should have looked off Terry and come back to Zichias. But, I mean, he may be. so many great plays in the game. All right. Let's get to Mike Jones right after these words from a few of our sponsors. I want to welcome a new sponsor to the podcast, and that sponsor is Rocket Money. And guys, this is interesting, so listen carefully, because we've actually talked about the problem that Rocket Money is solving. You ever sign up for something? Forget about it after the trial period

it ends and then you're charged month after month after month. The subscription's there but you're not using it. Well, in fact, I just learned that 85% of people have at least one paid subscription that goes unused each month. Well, thanks to Rocket Money, you can now see all of your subscriptions in one place and cancel the ones that you're not using anymore. Hence, you'll save more money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions,

monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. See all of your subscriptions in one place, know exactly where your money is going, and for the ones you don't want anymore, Rocket Money can help you cancel them. Rocket Money can even negotiate lower bills for you. They automatically scan your bills to find opportunities to save, and then you can ask them to negotiate for you so that you're not dealing with customer service. Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of 500 million in canceled subscriptions, saving members up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features.

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to rocketmoney.com slash Kevin D.C. today. That's rocketmoney.com slash Kevin D.C. Rocketmoney.com slash Kevin D.C. Hey, guys, prize picks is the place to go to for daily fantasy sports. I have the prize picks app. I'm one of the over 10 million members at prize picks where billions of dollars are awarded in winnings. PrizePix has made Daily Fantasy Sports accessible to everybody. You just pick more or less on at least two players and their projected stats for a shot to win up to a thousand times your cash. Run your game all season long on PrizePix, America's number one daily fantasy sports app. PrizePix now offers MasterCard for quick and easy deposits into your account this sports season. Download the app and use my code Sheehan to get to.

$50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Again, download the app today and use my code, Shee-E-H-E-H-A-N, to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks, run your game. Hey guys, being healthy is a big part of my life, but I'm not hardcore about it. I just want to incorporate better habits into my life, like getting more protein in my diet. And our next sponsor makes it easy to do just that.

That sponsor is Orgain. Orgain believes real nutrition has the power to make a real difference in people's lives. Orgain's new 30-gram complete protein shakes offer protein-packed real nutrition designed to satisfy your cravings without any added sugar. Orgain's products are handcrafted with high-quality ingredients that make them taste great. Looking to fuel your personal best, need muscle support and recovery, or just looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, Orgain's 30 gram protein shakes check all the boxes. I had an organ 30 gram protein shake in the morning the other day. I love how it tastes. Are you busy?

We all are. That's why organ is simple. You literally just grab one of organ's protein shakes and go. You can bring it to a workout. Bring it in your car. wherever you need it, no more time-consuming prep to get you the protein you need. And from protein powders to bars, to shakes, to tons of other nutritional products, Oregon has products that the whole family will love.

Remember, there are no quick fixes when it comes to your health. If you want more protein, give Orgain 30 gram protein shakes a try. Head toorgaine.com slash Sheehan. use code Sheehan for 30% off your order. That's the best offer you'll find, but you've got to use my code Sheean for 30% off. One last time, for 30% off, head to orgaine.com. That's O-R-G-A-I-N dot com slash Sheean. Use my code, Sheean.

This segment of the show brought you by Window Nation. If you've been thinking about new windows, all I ask is give Windows. Nation a chance to come out and give you a free estimate. There's no risk, no sweat. They won't push you. They won't pressure you. They won't obligate you to anything. But if you've been thinking about new windows because your windows are older and you're

paying very high heating bills because those windows are old and inefficient, just give them a chance. Call them at 86690 Nation. Go to windonation.com. If you do decide to move forward with them, between now and the end of the month, you'll get 50% off all Windows, plus you won't have to pay anything for two years and you won't be charged any interest. WindowNation.com or 86690 Nation. Jumping on with me right now is my friend Mike Jones, who now writes for the athletic, has been for a while. You remember Mike, of course. He covered the team for the Washington Post for several years. You can follow him on X at by Mike Jones. And subscribe to the

athletic. It's totally worth it. I talk about it all the time. I'm a subscriber. A couple of bucks a month gets you all of the great writers and covering so many different teams, including our team and Mike was in Tampa on Saturday night and wrote about Washington's win over the Buccaneers. And that's where I want to start. We'll get to what's next coming up on Saturday night in Detroit. But before we get to the game itself, just tell me about this. scene because look, you know how starved this fan base is and how excited people are around here after Saturday night's first playoff win in 19 years. What was the scene like? Okay, I got to BWI Airport on Saturday to fly down to Tampa and I get on the shuttle

and there's a guy with the commander's hat on and we start talking and he's a guy from, you know, the Silver Spring area. He said, man, this is the first time since I was like in eighth grade. And I always said that if never had made the playoff, I was going to go wherever they go. And so here I am. I'm going, oh, that's pretty cool. Well, I get to my gate. And I think 95% of the people waiting at the gate have commanders gear on.

And a few of the only people that weren't was John Kime and, you know, a couple other, like, reporters. and it was like the commander's flight on the way down. And, you know, everybody starts cheering on the flight, just the excitement. And then on the way back, there's so many commanders fans in the airport. And I don't think I'd seen that since I think that stretch run of RG3's rookie year, where you would see fans traveling with the team. You know, I don't travel the same schedule nearly as much anymore, but sometimes you do. But you just haven't seen a lot.

You might be a smattering. But on the way back, Commander's fans basically took over the flight. They were singing, Hail to the Redskins, you know, before it took off. And, you know, like every row, there was somebody in Commander's gear. There was a dad who had brought his, you know, five-year-old, and I think like a seven-year-old. They were from, you know, outside of D.C. and they were, you know, making a father-son road trip of the event. So the excitement of this fan base that has been waiting so long, you know, I just root for good stories now, but I really, you felt good for them that, okay, all this suffering is finally over.

And they didn't just make it to the playoffs. They won a playoff game. And, you know, they rewarded their fans for their loyal. and there was a good amount of fans, you know, cheering for them in the stadium. It, you know, wasn't just like a few here and there. This was something that you just haven't seen in a long time. So it's pretty cool. What were your big takeaways from the game?

That Jaden Daniels just doesn't flinch. You know, Todd Bull said, you know, somebody asked, were you surprised by his boys? And he said, no, I'm not surprised. I mean, we've seen him do it all year. The kid has no conscience. He's just going out there and gets it done. and there's no moment too big for him, and that was definitely the case. You know, when they held them to a field goal,

I tweeted, well, James and the commanders are used to moments like this because you just felt like, and it was weird because historically, you're figuring, okay, when are they going to screw it up? But they got the ball back, and I almost had the same feeling that I do when Patrick Mahomes has the ball with two minutes left to go. or, you know, or Lamar Jackson. I was just like, well, they're used to this now. And sure enough, they march right downfield.

It was a little hairy, the doink. But he did everything he needed to do. Think it was three past completions and had a couple runs and had that the crucial third down run for the first down, where, you know, the defender had him there, you know, in the background and only got his towel and, you know, he picked up the first down. and it was just the fact that they didn't flinch. And again, we're always waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know, for years and years,

and it didn't. And there were a bunch of veteran teams in the playoffs, and every first-time playoff appearance team lost, except for Washington. every team that had been in the playoffs the year before, one, except for Tampa Bay. So I think that that said a lot about this team and where they're headed. So it's pretty impressive. I mean, I basically said the same thing,

that you have the same feeling. I thought it was over when that third and inches botch happened and they were forced to kick the field goal. And they're giving the ball back to Mahomes with four and a half minutes to go, needing only three. And I think some people think that that's just an insane thing to say, 18 games into his career. But Mike, I think this guy already is an elite quarterback.

You know, Mahomes, Jackson, Allen, Burrow, Daniels. I mean, is it that crazy to think? You cover the league that this guy is in that class. already? No, it's not. I mean, it sounds like it. It sounds crazy because he's a rookie, but I'm telling you, like, I am as, you know, people get angry with me because I don't gush over this team just because I've seen the bad so much. And I don't get all worked up when I see like a couple, you know, decent games or whatever. But I seriously thought, oh, well, they've got enough time. He's going to go down and get it done. And I don't know when I've had

that much confidence in a Washington quarterback. But I just was like, oh, yeah, they've got this. And so that is the feeling you have when Patrick Mahomes is the ball in his hand. That's the feeling you get when Lamar Jackson's got four minutes left, or Josh Allen has four minutes left, or Joe Burrow. You're surprised if they don't get it done. But I felt like, oh, here we go. He's going to do it again because he's done it five times this year so far.

and you looked, there's no tightness with him. He does, his body language looks the same way in the first quarter as it does in the fourth quarter. Those are all the things that you kind of just try to study. I got my binoculars on guys. I'm just watching the way that they are moving and looking, and it just looked like it was in the middle of the game, didn't look like the game was on the line just the way to carry themselves. And that's something that the great quarterbacks have,

where they just have a body language, a confidence. They know, I mean, I think it was a couple weeks ago when Patrick Mahomes was talking to Andy Reid and the mic took them up, he's like, I'll make something happen. And he goes out. But that's the way Jay and Daniels carries himself. And so, look, we'll see what happens in the second year. We saw C.J. Strau kind of take a little bit of step backward,

a little bit of a sophomore slump. But I think from everything I hear about the hunger and the desire to continue to learning and begging, you know, coaches for insight on film study and things like that, this kid is going to continue to ascend, and he just has an it to him that you can't teach, and it's hard to come by. Yeah, I mean, I think that's part of it,

is that you just try to identify like a flaw that could be exposed. And, you know, there's always so much about these players that we don't know. And obviously there was a lot going on in the RG3 year that we didn't know. So something could be there that we're not aware of, but no one that any of us talks to has said anything other than, yeah, no, he's smart, he works at it, he loves it, and he's got the humility, and he's the ultimate teammate.

And so it sounds like all the stuff we don't know is great, because the stuff we do know, I mean, does he, I don't think he's got a flaw. I think he is high level at everything he does on the field. Yeah, I mean, the anticipation, because some of these throws that he makes, you have to have a real feel for the speed of the defender, have a real understanding of where to place the ball, you know, the arm angle to use. All of this stuff has to happen in a split second.

Like, you can't even really even think about it. It's got to happen so fast. But great quarterbacks, you hear the term the game slows down. Great quarterbacks have an ability to see stuff happen before it happened. And it feels like he's able to do that. That's, you know, why he's able to, you know, know where to put the ball or know when to take off and the angle to take to get away from a guy on a third down run. You know, when, I mean, look, Collagen knew exactly who was getting the ball.

He was right there to make that play. Yeah. But, you know, he was a split second faster and knew the angle to take. And so he's just got a lot. You know, look, there's a lot of film study again that goes into it. But he's got something that is God-given that's not. taught that extra little six cents that elite quarterbacks have. Being in the locker rooms after the game Saturday night,

what did you get from the Tampa people, the Tampa players and coaches about Jaden? Look, everybody was very, you know, complimentary. You know, I told you what, you know, Todd Bowles said, you know, that they weren't surprised by it at all. same thing with his players they were like you know they were praising him as well and they knew coming in that

this is a very talented kid coming in we've got to be ready for this and so I don't know that anybody was really surprised at this point they knew that they had to be mindful of him and they got it done and

you know they were they were disappointed themselves they felt like they had the opportunity they had them right there within reach and couldn't get to stop. But, you know, it just hats off to them. All right, let's get to what's next. Saturday night in Detroit, the Lions are 10-point favorites. We've just spent the last 15 minutes telling everybody what they already know,

which is that Jaden Daniels is really good. And he is the better of the two quarterbacks in the game Saturday night. No disrespect to Jared Gough, who is also very good. What sort of chance do you give Jaden and the team to pull off the upset? I mean, look, I think anything is possible. Look, Detroit, their defense isn't what it was. You know, they've done well, even not having Aiden Hutchinson, but we've seen them give up points.

We've seen them give up a lot of points. And so I think it's possible, my big thing, I'm not concerned about Jaden Daniels and the offense. I think that they'll find a way. My big thing, and that was my concern going into Tampa, was how will this secondary hold up against, you know, a very good quarterback in Jericho, and, you know, really talented wide receivers,

and how will the defensive front do with the run game? You know, will this defense get, you just, you don't have to be dominant, you just have to get a stop here and there. And that's what we saw in Tampa. Look, Marshawn Lattimore was getting his lunch money, from him. You know, they made some adjustments, and then Bobby Wagner got that one takeaway, deep in the territory that set them up for that touchdown. You just need one more stop, one more possession than the opponent sometimes. So can Washington's defense get that one crucial

stop that can set them up for an easy score that'll give them a kind of even the playing field against a really talented team? That's my big question. I think the offense can score, but can the defense just get one or two crucial stops and give the offense the opportunity to take care of business? All right, let's talk quickly about the rest of the league. And let's start with the games this upcoming weekend, one of the great weekends on the sports calendar. Houston destroyed the Chargers, and they're pretty good on defense. It certainly would appear. What kind of shot do you give them in Arrowhead?

I think it's going to be hard. I think that, look, again, playoff experience really matters. And they had experience. They've been there, and the Chargers had not. I mean, it was a couple years ago that Justin Herbert was there, but this is a new team, and their defense was very opportunistic. The thing about the Chiefs is they don't hurt themselves. So they might not light up the scoreboard and score in 35.

points a game like their first Super Bowl run, but they also don't make a lot of mistakes. And so the Chargers made a lot of mistakes, and the Texans were able to take advantage of that. You're not going to get that. You have a team that is smart, and they lean on their defense, keep it close, get the ball in the home's hands, you know, with two minutes left, and you win the game. So I'm expecting more of that. Also, you have a very good defensive coordinator and Steve Technola, who's going to, you know,

find ways to make CJ Stroud uncomfortable. So I don't expect that we're going to see the same type of performance out of that Texan defense in that team because their opponent is a team that just doesn't hurt itself. All right, let's go to the other AFC game, which will be the last game of the weekend. Is there a bigger story, Mike, right now, left in this postseason than Lamar Jackson and whether or not he plays well,

and has big-time playoff success for the first time in his career? Oh, my goodness. No, this is, well, I mean, look, if there is a three-peat by the Chiefs, which has, you know, never happened in the NFL, you know, in the modern Super Bowl history, then that would be huge. But outside of that, yes, Lamar Jackson's quest for a Super Bowl, this showdown between him and Josh Allen, look, the votes are in, already. We had to turn in our votes last week as far as who the MVP is, you know,

but this is the one, the shootout that's going to settle some debate. People can't change their votes, but the play will do a lot of the talking. This is two of the elite quarterbacks in the league and two that have some skill sets that are just something that are, you know, all-time great, even though their career. are still going on. This will be huge if the team that wins this thing right here and then puts themselves a game from going away to the Super Bowl, it's going to be pretty epic. Who'd you vote for? I voted for Lamar.

I said last week that if I had a vote, I would have voted for Lamar, too. Why did you vote for him? Because of when you look at what he's doing this year. So he was the MVP last year, and he threw for like 3,900 yards, you know, 20-some touchdowns. This year, he's thrown for 4,100 yards. He's got 41 touchdown passes, only four interceptions. The first quarterback to rush for 800 yards in a season, pass for 4,500 yards in a season. And just the command that he has in this offense is a different level

than what he had last year, his first year with Todd Monkin. And just he can do everything. And, you know, people say, oh, well, he's got Derek Henry. What Derek Henry is as good as he is this year because people have to worry about Lamar. It's not. I agree with him. And so, look, I do think Josh Allen is fantastic.

And he puts that team on his back and puts on the Cape every single week. But we've seen him have some bad games this year here and there. We have not seen Lamar have a bad game. bad game. And it's just, he's just next level, insanely talented freak. And that's why he's my MVP. Anybody that might be listening that thinks that Bo Nix or Brock Bowers has a shot to win offensive rookie of the year, I'll give you a chance to calm them down. Well, I mean, look, Brock Bowers, what he did with a bunch of, you know, Joe's as his quarterback was very impressive, you know, that he was able to rack up the receiving yards and catch it that he did,

yes. But you're not carrying a team like Jane Daniels is. A Bo Nix, very impressive, had a little bit slower start, did not have the clutch game-winning performances week after week down the stretch that Jayton Daniels did. So while he is a perfect fix for Sean Payton in that offense, you know, it's still, he is not on the same level of Jayden Daniels. You know, yes, he's got some wheels. Yes, he, you know, is not afraid to pull the trigger, but he's just, he's not and has not

carried his team and single-handedly impacted games the same way that Jayden Daniel has. there's zero chance that Jaden Daniels isn't the offensive rookie of the year, right? I mean, I would be absolutely stunned. Yeah, it'd be an all-time odds upset at this point. I think he's like minus 20,000 to win the award. Did you give me a winner? I don't think you did in the Buffalo Baltimore game. Baltimore.

I just think, I mean, look, Buffalo. again, they are a fantastic team. Josh Allen is amazing. But when you look at what Baltimore has to work with and also the way that their defense, you know, has really finally figured things out. They started off slow, but they've come into their own and they're, you know, making really impactful plays. And again, the way Lamar is playing, he has got a hunger. I don't think he's going to be denied on this one here. All right. The Rams last night really put it to Minnesota. I mean, there's a whole Sam

Darnold's story there, which I'm going to talk about a little bit in the final segment of the show today. But, I mean, I'm not sure I've seen anybody lose that much money in two weeks at that position. In two games, eight days, actually, it wasn't even two full weeks than Sam Darnold. Do you have a

quick comment on that? Yeah, I mean, pretty stunning. I thought that this was going to be a game, that it was going to be kind of a shootout. I expected Sam Darnold that he was going to bounce back from last week. I thought even the struggles in the Detroit game were a good thing for him to kind of get, okay, now you had that playoff-tight atmosphere,

and now you can get it out of your system, and now you can get back to just playing and not thinking. But, man, I mean, what was it, nine sacks he finished with, and I think probably like three-fourths of them were on him, not the line, holding on to the ball, overthinking everything. And again, we keep saying it. Playoff experience matters. It's a totally different game once you get to the playoffs.

And we saw that, look, yes, what he did this year, fantastic story. Good for him. He's going to be a starting quarterback next year somewhere. But, yeah, there will definitely be some pause. I still think they're probably franchising or something like that, to avoid him a long-term deal. But, man, that just that. His star fell and fell quickly.

Yeah. All right. The last game, well, it's not the last game. It's the first game Sunday. Philly hosting the Rams. How do you size this one up? Yeah, well, you know, Jalen Hart had not played in two weeks, you know, and he only played a little bit in that Washington game for getting that concussion.

So I expected some rust there with their offense. You know, their defense and Saquan Barkley definitely helped kids. carry them. I think that they are probably more well-rounded across the board than what the Rams are, even though the Rams are playing well. But I think that Philadelphia, a little more physical defensively in their defensive front, although they have some young, talented guys on their defensive front in L.A. as well. But I think that the Eagles have a slight edge. They wind up winning the thing. Last one. Well, wait a minute. You sort of lean Detroit, right?

Right. You're picking the Lions to win. Yes, again, I think that we could see a much closer game than what we think, but I just think top to bottom, they're probably a little, they're just ahead of schedule. They're a little more ahead of schedule and have that experience than, you know, to give them an edge over Washington. All right. Where does Mike McCarthy land, if anywhere, and who ends up becoming the next Cowboys head coach? McCarthy is really interesting. I don't know, because I don't know who is going to want an out-of-date head coach that just underachieve. Yes, if you're just worried about winning games in the regular season, he's going to give you double-digit wins,

but be prepared for letdown in the playoffs. So, I mean, is it the Jets? You know, I haven't heard his name yet, linked to the Jaguars. One of these franchises that isn't really serious about winning will give them a job. You know, and who's the next Cowboys coach? It's crazy, but I think Dion Sanders. You do. That would be the flashy, crazy Jerry Jones thing to make sure the Cowboys have the crazy good spotlight,

because I don't see Ben Johnson wanting to go down there. You know, and so if you can't get somebody like that, it would just be such a ridiculous Jerry Jones move. And it would be highly entertaining, too. So I don't know if I'm saying that because I want to see it or because I think it's going to happen, but I could definitely envision it. You know, I think people, I don't know what people think.

I have a sense that people think that Dion wouldn't be a great head, coach. And by the way, that the Dallas job isn't necessarily a very good job because Jerry's the owner. I think people would be underestimating Dion Sanders as a potential head coach. Because for starters, and tell me if you agree with me, I think he'd be able to hire a hell of a staff. I think there are people in this league that absolutely would go to work for Dion Sanders. Yes or no? No, I agree with you because that's what I was going to say is like, look, he will be that inspirational guy that will get young guys, you know, on board and everything. I'm not saying he's like Dan Campbell, but we were like, what?

This guy talking about biting kneecaps and everything. Like, this is crazy. Dion's got a different style, but I think he can connect with players in a similar way. But I was going to say, the thing that Dion does is he has clout. He can get people, he can get quality coaches. And I think he understands, okay, hey, I'm good at motivation. I'm good at, you know, real talk and relationships, and I've got to get guys that are very good teachers

and ex-to-those guys, you know. So I think it could work, you know. Will it happen? I don't know, but I really, I kind of want to see it. Is Mike Tomlin safe? I believe he's safe. Should he be safe? Probably not.

It's probably time for a chance. change. You know, would anybody blame them if they wound up, you know, trading him to another team and he gets a fresh start or whatever, something needs to change. They've been this whole, you know, lean into the defense, be conservative on offense.

That's got to, they've got to get up to date. You've got to, you know, Arthur Smith was perfect offense for what Mike Tomlin wanted, but not perfect offense for the NFL today. They need a more electric and creative offensive approach. Now, if they let Russell Wilson part with him and roll with Justin Fields, could he take another step forward? Look, Mike Tomlin is fantastic. They are consistent in their approach, but they are consistent in coming up short. And so maybe it's just time for him and for them. But it's probably not going to happen, having said that. Will Cliff Kingsbury get a job?

I think that it's possible. It would be very smart for the Chicago Bears to go get Cliff. He would be very good for Caleb Williams. I know from a Washington perspective, you hope that things just don't shape up right and that Cliff winds up coming back for another year for Jaden. But I think that they have a smart plan in place where you have Brian Johnson who could step in there as the offensive coordinator. You wouldn't have to change the language and terminology and continue to build, you know, because he works well with Jaden. But, you know, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cliff Kingbury gone.

And last one. Is Rivera an actual legitimate candidate for any of these jobs? I mean, you never say never. Again, and look, he in some ways did a great, a very good job. in Washington in a very tough situation. I mean, the guy battled cancer. He had all this Snyder stuff. He had great instability with quarterback stuff,

but they were, you know, they were solid. They did not, you know, compete to the level that you would hope. But they also, if you hire him, you cannot give him as much control over the roster as what they did because that is where he is not suited. that really set Washington back. So from a coaching standpoint, you know, and from a leadership standpoint, I think he could get the job done,

but you better pair him with a very sharp general manager. And, you know, but again, where is that fit? I don't know. I think that you're better off going a different direction, but I could see why the stability and the experience would appeal to some owners. Where are you going to be this weekend? I will be in Philly for the Rams and the Eagles. All right.

Good to catch up. Hope you're well. Thanks for doing this as always. Hey, thanks for having me. Always a great time catching up with you, man. The athletics, Mike Jones, everybody. Always good to have Mike on the show. I'm going to finish up because I didn't do this in my post-game Skins, Buccaneers podcast,

with just a quick trip around. the other wild card games, specifically last nights, the performance by the Rams and the lack of one by the Vikings and their starting quarterback. We'll get to that right after these words from a few of our sponsors. So guys, if you're like me and you've basically been buying and wearing this same type of underwear for years, in my case, boxer briefs, same brand, same type for a long time, Well, not anymore for me. I want to tell you about skims for men, something I've discovered recently, the softest underwear I've ever worn. I got a few pairs of the five-inch boxer briefs so comfortable, no matter what you're doing,

from sitting in a chair in your office to working out, they are so comfortable. They don't bunch up. They were made to recover from every stretch. The fabric is cool to the touch, and it just seems to mold to your body and never loses its shape. This is so different from the synthetic feeling I used to get from what I used to wear. Skims is made with an undeniable soft midweight cotton that allows you to breathe. Skims for men. It comes in multiple colors, multiple sizes. Shop Skims Men's at skims.com in skimms stores.

Let them know I sent you. After you place your order, select podcast in the survey, and select this show in the drop-down menu that follows. It's a new year. It may be time for new gutters. Whether you're tired of unclogging gutters on your own or you don't even know what your gutters look like, it's time for a permanent solution that you can depend on, and that permanent solution is leaf filter. Clogged gutters aren't just a nuisance. They can cause extensive water.

damage. Protect your home from flooding, roof damage, foundation issues, and more. Do-it-yourself in-store-bought solutions. They may be cheaper up front, but they'll cost you more in the long run. Leaf Filter uses award-winning patented technology to keep out everything but water. No holes, gaps, or large openings for debris to get through. Every installation comes with a lifetime, no clogs guarantee. Call today to schedule your free gutter inspection and get a no-obligation free estimate. A leaf filter trusted pro will clean out, realign, and seal your gutters before installing leaf filter.

Over a million homeowners have trusted leaf filter. Protect your home and never clean out gutters again with leaf filter. America's number one gutter protection system. Schedule your free inspection and get up to third. 30% off your entire purchase. That's 30% off your entire purchase. Just dial pound 250 and say the keyword Kevin Show. That's pound 250 keyword Kevin show.

See representative for warranty details. Here's Keishon Nixon, the all-pro returner for Green Bay. And I guess jacked up before the 30th. The ball came out there. Who's going to come out of it? Eagles say they have it. Philadelphia got the football on that opening kickoff Sunday against Green Bay in their playoff game in Philadelphia. But they shouldn't have been awarded the football.

Did you guys see the replay on that opening kickoff? That returner, Kishon Nixon, there's a clear overview, sky view of him recovering the fumble being on the ground, possession in hand. And for whatever reason, they didn't overturn the call on the field, which was Eagles football. That's not a challengeable play, remember? That's a turnover. So New York's got to overturn it, and they didn't do it. Crazy. Eagles took the ball and scored a touchdown a minute and a half later.

They were up 7-0 and they never relinquished the lead in the game. This segment of the show is brought to you by My Bookie. If you want to bet on sports, my recommendation is MyBooky. Go to MyBooky.ag or MyBooky.com and then use my promo code when you sign up. They'll give you a 50% cash bonus when you use my promo code, Kevin D.C. promo code is Kevin D.C. You deposit $100, you'll have $150 in your account. You deposit $500, you'll have $750 in your account.

You deposit $1,000, you'll have $1,500 in your account. If you're betting on sports, even if you've got another sports book, take the free money from MyBook. My bookie's got everything you need, fair numbers across the board, fair pricing, most importantly. This weekend right now, the numbers at my bookie for the four wild card games. Washington now a 10-point underdog. the number's up to 10. The total is 55. That's the highest total on the board.

So Detroit is the biggest favorite this weekend, and the game has the highest over-under number. Saturday, it's the Chiefs minus eight and a half at home against Houston. The total in that game is 42. Then the Washington game Saturday night, Sunday, Philly now a six-point favorite over the Rams. The total is 44. and Baltimore is a one-point favorite over Buffalo on the road in really, I think, of the four playoff games, the most anticipated by NFL fans. But I'd say that Washington, Detroit is number two.

I think everybody's excited to see what Jaden Daniels can do in Detroit. The college football national championship game on Monday night, Ohio State right now, an eight-point favorite at MyBooky over Notre Dame. The total is 46. They've got all the prop bet opportunities you want on all of these games. MyBooky.ag promo code Kevin, D.C. So I wanted to quickly talk about the other five wild card games, including the game last night,

because I didn't do it on the Sunday night show following the Skins-Bucks game. And I'll start with the Eagles and the Packers. I did not think the Eagles were very impressive at all offensively. I'm not sure that they're being asked to be that dynamic play calling-wise on offense. Their defense is right now the best in the NFL. And the thing that's so impressive about watching Philadelphia on defense is just how physical they are. Nobody hits like Philadelphia does. how urgent and how high motor, how relentless they are in their pursuit.

I mean, you had Green Bay players being taken off the field left and right. Now, they did lose Nacobie Dean in the game. That's a big loss for Philadelphia. And Darius Slay left that game but came back into the game. But I don't think right now of the eight remaining teams there is a better defense than, I don't think anybody's got a better defense than, Philadelphia. There are some good defensive teams left. Kansas City's good. Houston's good defensively. Neither team in the Washington Detroit game right now is very good defensively.

Baltimore is playing much better defensively. But man, Philly on defense, God, do they hit. They stop the run. They pressure the passer. They picked off Jordan Love three times. They were, you know, in his face all day long. Look, Josh Jacobs had an incredible touchdown run that got the lead to 16 to 10. That was a second, third, fourth, fifth effort run. But Phillies, you know, I don't know that they really felt Sunday night or Sunday afternoon that they needed to be that dynamic offensively. But they really do seem to struggle throwing the football until it matters.

You know, they came out in that second half and they threw the ball right down the field scored a touchdown, and they led 16 to 3 after they missed the extra point. Barkley went for a buck 19 in the game and had that big run on the game's final play and decided not to take it to the house for what would have been a long touchdown run. He saved his legs, I guess. Philadelphia beats Green Bay 22 to 10, with again, just a terrible, terrible use of replay or lack thereof on the opening kickoff. That was a devastating play for Green Bay. I think if I had been Matt LaFleur, I would have either been tossed or arrested because that was so clear cut that there

was an obvious recovery possession on the field with body down on the ground. That was nuts. Going back through it chronologically, and we got out of it there with Philly and Green Bay, The first game of the weekend, I gave out Houston as a smell test pick. The whole world, as mentioned on Friday show, was on the Chargers. The two NFL picks hit. I had the Texans and the under in the Washington-Tampa game. I did have Texas on Friday night in that second semifinal, and man, they had a chance. First and goal at the one in the fourth quarter in a 21 to 14 game,

and they end up giving up the big fumble return. turn. But anyway, Ohio State came up with the bigger plays in the game. And I thought Quinn yours, by the way, was really, really bad. Had some plays, but for the most part, man, you talk about a quarterback that just doesn't see it or feel it. He is certainly one of those. Houston was really impressive. You talk about, you know, teams defensively left in the draw. Houston is nasty up front. You know, with Will Anderson, Jr., with DeNeil Hunter, they've got guys that can cover. Obviously, Derek Stingley, Jr., they're really well coach defensively. You know, a lot of the talk after that game is Justin Herbert, and he's so overrated. Look, two of those interceptions were drops by

his receivers. He also had his receivers drop three or four other passes, including one that would have been a big one in the first half that may have given them a 10-0-0-lead or 13-0-lead potentially. Will Disley, the tight end had, I think, two drops in the game, including one that led to an interception. I'm not defending Justin Herbert. He did not play well, didn't play anywhere near good enough in the game. He was 14 to 32, again, with the five drops. Four interceptions, two of them, you know, sort of deflections on balls that were catchable.

He wasn't good enough. And they could not run the football against Houston. and that was a big part of what they had been this year, especially when they were healthy in the backfield. And he didn't play well, okay? But again, the numbers were a bit deceiving, and he has one receiver. He's got Ladd-McConkie,

and I don't even know if McConkey's a true number one. They have to give him more on the skill position side. If you think that Justin Herbert is like sucks or is a guy that isn't a legitimate upper-tier starter, I think you're wrong. I think 20 to 25 teams, certainly 20, would trade for him and give up everything for a Justin Herbert tomorrow.

There's no way that Jim Harbaugh is going to move on from Justin Herbert. The only thing I would say about him, he is a little bit inaccurate at times under pressure. There's no doubt about that. The ball gets high. He gets quick. He gets sped up. But again, Houston had a lot to do with it.

And he just doesn't have enough. They don't have any receivers. I mean, Ladd-McConkie is the one guy. They have, and he's probably in number two. The game's Saturday night between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. I'm a Mike Tomlin fan, but I would understand as a Steelers fan, if they moved on from him. I think, by the way, he'd get a gig pretty quickly.

The bottom line with the Steelers is they haven't had a quarterback since Rathlisberger, and I'm talking about a healthy Rathlisberger. They just have not been able to figure out that position. And Russ the other night, look, the numbers weren't terrible. There were two drives, sort of stunning drives, you know, in the second half. because they did nothing in the first half, and then they went on a 98-yard drive to make it 21 to 7, and on a 70-play drive to make it 28 to 14. Actually, after they made it 28 to 14, they had two possessions with the football,

you know, late third quarter into the fourth quarter to make it a seven-point football game. But Baltimore clearly unstoppable for much of the game. I thought the first half by Lamar was perfection. as a runner and a passer. And man, Derek Henry, 26 for a buck 86. They rushed for $2.99 as a team. I mean, come on. It's not all Pittsburgh's offense.

I mean, they got run on, and they got tired, too, because Pittsburgh couldn't do anything offensively in the first half. But Derek Henry, real quickly, great player, all time. You know, he's going to be a Hall of Fame player. I love Derek Henry. But, man, has his career been resuscitated playing with a dual threat quarter? back. The gaping holes that are there for him because they're playing Lamar and playing Lamar to run, to pull it and run. Still, there are only a few backs in the league that could take advantage of

that situation like Derek Henry does. Baltimore, 28 to 14 winners on Saturday night over the Steelers. And of course, that sets up the game with Buffalo because Buffalo won the first game Sunday. How about that first opening drive by Denver? They go right down the field, 70 yards. There's a big drop, and then there's a catch for a touchdown by Franklin from 43 yards out. And it's like, uh-oh, I actually gave Denver a shot of hanging in there. I almost gave them out as a smell test pick, but the action was a little bit on the sharp side evened up. So I didn't.

I'm glad I didn't. but I liked Denver going into that game. Man, Buffalo's running game is impressive with James Cook. And Ty Johnson, the former Terp, he has really found a home in Buffalo. He's had a good career. You know, we started in Detroit, was with the Jets for a few years, but Buffalo, where they've got weapons and his speed and his playmaking ability, that catch that he had for a touchdown was outstanding. but Buffalo running the ball for 210. Josh Allen near perfect. I think it was 20 of 25 for 280 or something like that, two touchdowns.

His QBR was through the roof. It was like 87.8. The bills look good. I wonder if they're going to be able to hold up defensively. That is really shaping up to be the game of the weekend and maybe the game of the year in many ways. And it's such an important game for both quarterback. I think more so for Lamar than Josh Allen, but man, is it a big game for both quarterbacks?

Because if Lamar were to win this one on the road in Buffalo and get back to an AFC championship game for the second time, but then lose, say, a close game where he plays well at Arrowhead, I think it'll be a soft landing here in the offseason, not making the Super Bowl. But if they go down in Buffalo and he doesn't play well, It ain't going to be good for him in the offseason. He is a guy that I'm just rooting for. I'm rooting for Baltimore on Sunday night in Buffalo, but the bills were awfully impressive in their win.

And then we have to talk about last night. I'm not sure I can remember a player losing more in eight days than Sam Darnold just did in eight days. Let's not forget that two weeks ago, just over two weeks ago, the celebration of Sam Darnold in the Vikings locker room after they beat the Packers, and he was awesome in that game. You know, he had thrown for four touchdowns or three touchdowns in that game, nearly 400 yards.

They held on to beat the Packers, 27, 25. I've been saying about Sam Darnold all year when we've talked about him, either on the radio show or on the podcast. I always felt like Sam Darnold could succeed a lot more than he had in the right system. But when you watched him this year, he got lucky a lot. He led the league in turnover-worthy passes, so he should have been picked much more than he was, and he holds on to the ball too long. And that, you know, results in a lot of sacks.

well, in the biggest two games of his career as a starter, and basically 15 days after he was celebrated by his teammates and coaches, they were talking massive contract extension, there were even people saying maybe they'll trade J.J. McCarthy, who they drafted in the first round, and then he tore his ACL and was out for the year, which gave Darnold the opportunity, although a lot of people felt Darnold was going to start the year,

year. Anyway, look, this dude was 35 touchdowns, 12 picks, 4,319 yards, and the Vikings won 14 games in the regular season. Now, they had, you know, not a brutal schedule, and they, you know, the big game that they, and they had a great defense for much of the year. But the game against Detroit, where he literally misfired or just didn't see open receivers all night. against Detroit, including in the Red Zone. And then last night, what happened in that game, which, by the way, the atmosphere in Arizona for that game was off the charts. I mean, it was a lot of Minnesota fans, which you knew would be the case.

But it really was electric. You could feel it on TV. It was two fan bases packed the Cardinal Stadium. It was loud. Early it was loud because the Rams jumped on top of men. Minnesota. Man, Sean McVeigh, he rests his starters. I tongue in cheek said, yeah, he's trying to avoid Jaden Daniels. Maybe he really was. Maybe he knew Minnesota would lose to Detroit last week, and that they had already beaten the Vikings, and maybe he knew they could beat him again,

and maybe he thought that Washington would be a much tougher draw. Now, with that said, with Jimmy Garoppolo, they nearly won their season finale game against Seattle. Gropolo threw for 335. I don't know if you saw it in the season finale without Nakua, without cup, you know, with backups basically everywhere. He's still through for 335 and he almost beat the Seahawks, which would have meant the Rams would have been playing against Washington in a 3-6 game. And that game probably would have happened on Sunday night in that spot where Washington played Tampa.

And Tampa would have been playing last night against, against Minnesota in Tampa. But anyway, so they almost blew it anyway by almost beating Seattle with Jimmy Garapolo, but they got the right matchup. And there were a couple of things about the game last night in addition to Darnold. Darnold is the story because he was sacked nine times, because he consistently didn't see things over and over again. He had truly one of the worst performances you'll ever see.

and he's probably cost himself a long-term, you know, north of a $100 million deal. I think somebody's going to pay him, and I think he's going to get a chance to start somewhere. I don't think it'll be in Minnesota personally. I think it'll be somewhere else, maybe Cleveland, who knows, and he'll get a contract and he'll get paid, but not like he was going to get paid two weeks ago, and it's probably not going to be in Minnesota. He just doesn't process quickly enough. Nine sacks.

I mean, that was bad. Had a fumble return for a touchdown through an interception, could have thrown three interceptions last night. But the other story of this game is the Rams defense. And Jared Verst in particular, the rookie from Florida State, who was picked number 19 overall in the first round, and is probably going to be the defensive rookie of the year.

Man, is he athletic? Is he a pass rusher? He picked up that fumble, and that was a wide receiver running down the field. Defensively, their pressure with just four consistently rattled Sam Darnold. Darnold held it too long, but he also was under pressure much of the night. And then offensively, I don't know, man, Sean McVeigh knows how to scheme it up, and he schemed it up early enough for them. you know, Higbee, Nakua, Cup. Nakua is, he's truly elite. Of the two Nakuwa and Cup, remember people used to think it was cup. Nakua is the true alpha of those two receivers. Yeah, I give the Rams a shot in Philly on Sunday.

Sean McVeigh can coach it up with the best of them. Remember, they almost knocked off Detroit last year in the wild card round. He's impressive, man, Sean McVeigh. Just wins and figures it out. That team this year, remember, with all of their injuries to start the year, they were one and four, and everybody was talking about Stafford getting traded at the deadline, you know, Nakuwa Cup, all of those players were about to get traded. And from one and four, they ended up winning the division at 10 and 7, and they won a

playoff game. And they probably, you know, have a show. I mean, they're six-point dogs at Philly. I think that feels like the right line. I didn't think it was going to be a lot higher, but I give them a chance for sure. So that's kind of the recap of the weekend. I thought really the most impressive performance overall

was Houston in that first game. And by the way, it wasn't pretty early with C.J. Stroud. There's a play in that game where there's a snap over his head. He picks it up and he makes a 30-year. yard throw downfield on third and forever. That was the game-changing play. But I thought he really got it together and look good. He is a guy that sees it and processes it very quickly, and he's got a very quick release. I actually think Houston's going to be tough at Arrowhead for the Chiefs. I do. I thought that line would be shorter than that. So I would say the Texans overall may have been,

the most impressive of the teams this weekend, but the Rams were impressive, the bills were impressive, Baltimore was impressive, Washington was impressive, all of the winners, except for Philadelphia, I think were pretty impressive, although the Eagles were really impressive on defense. All right. What else?

I think that's it. I could talk about Maryland's went over Minnesota last night, if you want me to, TURP fans. They're sloppy right now. I don't think they're a good rebounding team. I think they're way too casual with the basketball. Derek Queen in particular. He's so gifted, so talented, though.

And I also am not worked up over it because it's only January 14th. But they played the worst team in the Big Ten last night in Minnesota, and they were down six in the second half. They were down three at halftime. Minnesota was Ofer in the Big Ten, and everybody had blown them out. And Maryland was a 16-point favorite last night. expected them to kind of come out and dominate. They beat UCLA at home on Friday night, and it was an impressive win. Sloppy again at times, though. I just think right now they play a bit

too casually at times. They're not a good rebounding team. That concerns me, especially in the Big Ten. They got a big game Thursday night on the road at Northwestern, and you Turp fans are going to understand when I describe how that game will go. We're expecting, you know, more. We're expecting, you know, more from this team than we have in recent years, but it'll end up looking like it's looked the last few years. It'll be like 29 to 28 at halftime, and we'll be like, oh my God, we look terrible. And then we'll go on a stretch in the second half where we'll have a five or six point lead, then we'll blow it. And it'll come down to the last possession in Chicago against Northwestern. not terrible. Minnesota's terrible. Northwestern's not nearly as bad. College basketball's starting

to pay more attention to it. Georgetown didn't give Yukon as good of a game over the weekend as they'd given Marquette the previous week. All right, I'm done. Back tomorrow.